Parents' Guide to BTS World

Odds are pretty good that if you're reading this, you're either asking "What the heck is 'BTS'?" or you're a card-carrying member of the fandom known as the BTS Army. For those not in the know, BTS is the name of the seven-member-strong Korean pop music (or "K-pop") boy band that has exploded into a global phenomenon, and BTS World cashes in on that popularity by taking players on a fan service-fueled time travel/alternate history "adventure" that's less a game and more an interactive infomercial for the band. Aside from the constant in-your-face promotion of all things BTS, there's even an exclusive music track the band put together solely to promote the game.

The story, such as it is, is a hokey mess packed with live-action video calls, messaging screens, and dialogue that all comes off as if it's been written by a love-struck teenager. Throughout the game, the band members awkwardly and passively flirt with the player, saying how much they missed having seen her and wanting to show off for her attention. There are bits of innuendo, and the player is often portrayed as swooning over the band. Even the collectible cards include live-action motion shots, complete with fake wind and poses that look like they've been ripped from cheesy romance novels. What's worse is that collecting these cards is a necessity to advance the story, meaning you'll either need to stop everything and grind for better versions of the BTS cards, or pay real money in the shop to get what you need to keep the story moving. It's blatant and unabashed commercialism at its worst. The simple fact is, if you're not already a die-hard BTS fan, there's little to nothing that BTS World has to offer.